For many people, a “foundation” plan is the extent of their landscape planning needs. They already have walks, a deck or terrace for outdoor living, a play area for the kids, etc., and only need a knowledgeable designer to bring pleasing and practical plant combinations to fill out these existing features. They might also want a well-placed shade tree to set off the house. This type of project is straightforward, but in many instances landscape design is no more limited to selecting plants than house design is about choosing paint, windows and shingles.

As is the case with good architecture, the best landscapes “work” because they are consciously designed and constructed. They most quickly achieve an “always-been-there” feel because they have been designed to fit with the site and architecture and the various elements designed to fit with each other. This is as true for a 10-by-10 foot terrace garden as it is for 10 acres. Different issues prevail at these different scales, but thoughtful planning is central to the success of both.

So, what if you require more than a foundation planting? Say you have in mind a swimming pool, a tennis court, a terrace for entertaining and a terrace off the bedroom for taking your morning coffee, except that from the French doors at your bedroom there are four awkward steps to the ground, and you’d like to walk out that door with ease. You have a vague idea that you’ll need lighting and irrigation, and want to enlarge you guest parking. Add to that, your property has steep slopes, requires privacy screening and a deer fence. All this is to happen on only one acre, and, of course, you’d like the final effect to come off like Monet’s garden at Giverny. How do you put all of this together? What is the process?

Color rendering

Begin with a Master Plan. Prepared by the experienced and creative landscape designers, the master plan establishes the landscape structure and shows how the new landscape will work.

It reflects the homeowner’s needs and the qualities of the site. It shows the proposed layout of elements such as walks, pavements, fences, walls, steps, decks, plant-masses, beds and out-buildings in sufficient detail to describe the overall design. It shows how landscape elements work together with the site to exploit its virtues and solve its problems (e.g., bad views, steep slopes, deer access, etc.).